Emotion is but a Weakness
by Rhapsdy
Summary: After leaving Shin-Ra, Genesis suddenly finds himself talking to old faces. One of my first serious fic's, the first of many about Genesis. Alternate version of events, although it may contain spoilers.


Authors Note: I don't own Crisis Core, or whatever else that may be mentioned, only a copy of the game.

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I perched precariously on top of a rather high water tower, somewhere in a village a few miles away from Banora. A few locals walked past staring at me, but the crimson sword easily visible, secured by one of my many belts, persuaded them to ignore me. Not that I cared. I was sat there, content with a Banora White apple in one hand, and my favourite book in the other. LOVELESS, a play famous in Midgar. I wasn't even sure why I read it anymore. I, and anyone who met me, knew I had the whole thing memorised. I guess it was because I rarely found a book that interested me anymore. No, my life was much more exciting than a mere book could even get across to its reader.

Just as I finished off my apple, and threw the core neatly into a chimney of a cottage, someone behind me shouted my name.  
"Genesis!" The voice was male, and reminded me of someone. I stood up, and walked the short distance to the other side of the water tower, expecting some third class SOLDIER I had once met.  
"Oh?" I murmured in surprise. It was a second class, probably the only one who didn't wear a helmet like the rest of the weaklings.  
More specifically, it was Angeals student. What was his name....Zack something? I could only remember his first name because of Angeals nickname for him. I pondered on his surname for a moment, until I actually felt his mako filled eyes staring at me, full of a mix of hatred, confusion and.....sadness? I wondered why he felt these mix of emotions whilst staring at me. No doubt I'd find out in a few moments.  
"Genesis!" He yelled again. I tucked away my book, and jumped down to join him. I smirked at his reaction as I landed, he stepped backwards and his arm jumped towards his standard issue sword.  
"What is it, Zack...the puppy?" I couldn't hold myself back from saying his nickname, and almost laughed at his reaction. His face filled with annoyance, most likely at my expression.  
"Why......Why did you leave SOLDIER?" He asked, quietly at first and getting louder and more confident when he realised I wasn't actually going to attack him. Not that I didn't want to of course, but it was interesting to see what he had to say.  
"Why did I leave? Does it really bother you that much?" I replied, my voice as bored sounding as ever.  
"Yes!" Zack said loudly, his fists clenched in anger. "Angeal's been moping around and not talking as much as he did! Ya'know, friends are meant to look out for each other, not leave without telling anyone!" The kid was yelling now. He was really getting on my nerves...I really should have obliterated him there and then. But, he was Angeals student, and even though I had totally abandoned him and SOLDIER, Angeal was still one of my only friends. My mind flickered back to when I first met him.

_I was sat under an apple tree, on my families' extensive orchard. I was doing nothing really, just reaching up into the tree's branches to grab an apple every so often. In the words of most of the adults in the village, "In my own little world". Not that I cared what they thought. They only talked about me behind my back. Not that it stopped me hearing it of course. Their recent topic was about the fact I did nothing but sit out here all day. The fact I had no friends. Which was quite ironic actually, being the son of the wealthiest people in the village.  
I was just reflecting on what I had heard them talking about, when there was an outcry of "Thief! Catch the thief! Stop him!" from the road that run down the side of our orchard. I stood up, slowly walked over and leant on the old wooden fence. A kid about my age was running down the road, with a bulky bag thrown over his shoulder. I guessed he had stolen them from the farms down the road.  
As he ran towards where I was standing, he glanced up, and saw me. He looked about my age, with blue eyes and fairly long black hair, gelled back. We both grinned, and he vaulted over the fence, and hid behind the tree I was sat under a few moments ago.  
As the mob ran past, one person stopped to ask me if I had seen him.  
"He went that way." I answered, pointing further down the road. After they had left, I called to the boy behind the tree.  
"Okay, they've gone!" He stepped behind, chewing on one of the apples from the bag.  
"Hey, thanks for letting me hide." He grinned. "My names Angeal."  
"I'm Genesis. And don't worry about the mob, they'll have reached Nibelheim before they realised I lied." We both laughed._"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Zacks voice brought me out of my flashback. I scowled, annoyed at the fact he expected me to listen.  
"Listen, Zack. The only reason I'm not going to kill you where you stand is that you are Angeals student. And no matter what... lies about me you may have heard, I wouldn't betray him." I turned around, and walked away from the kid, heading towards the well-known route between here and Banora.  
The kid was obviously too shocked by what I had said to follow me. Not that I didn't mind, of course.

I smirked as the screen on the computer flickered to life. I had broken into the Mako reactor at Nibelheim, and was currently hacking into Shin-Ra's database. Well, it would have been hacking if the idiots had changed the password. Global security threats obviously did not bother them. I accessed the list of missions given out, like I had done countless times before at Shin-Ra. But, instead of scrolling straight to the section for 1sts, I noticed a folder entitled "Missions Involving SOLDIERs Currently M.I.A." Grinning, I opened it and scrolled down the short list. And there was my name, on a folder. I opened it, and read through the single mission listed.  
"Find and Disable, mission assigned to......Sephiroth." I laughed, and the sound echoed around the desolate building. I stopped when I realised the laugh made me sound like Hojo on a good day. Checking where they were sending him, I wasn't surprised it read Banora. It was my hometown, after all.  
I was actually looking forwards to this. I would finally be able to fight Sephiroth without Angeal interrupting. Yawning, I headed back towards Banora. Had to be there to meet "The Great Sephiroth's" expectations.

I stared at the three people standing before me. My eyes slowly flickered over each one, trying to recall the names from my memory. Two were obvious, but the third one......well, I knew him from somewhere. None of them were Sephiroth though.  
Angeal, Zack and the third one, who wore a sloppy suit and had long red hair tied in a ponytail. The only people who wore suits and actually got set missions were the Turks, so I immediately made the connection. They weren't going to send an accountant after a missing 1st class were they?  
Angeal seemed reluctant to come in, he was leaning on the door frame and staring at the floor, to avoid looking at me. I wasn't surprised, I wouldn't want to fight him either.  
I turned my attention back to the Turk and Zack, who were moving towards their weapons. It was all silent, no-one spoke. So I decided to see how much information I could get out of them.  
"Where's Sephiroth?" My voice rang out through the empty ware house.  
"He didn't want to come." Angeal replied. Zack turned back to look at him, a puzzled expression on his face.  
"You know, you really shouldn't leave your back open to the enemy." I said, keeping a straight face. Showing your back to enemy was idiotic, but showing emotions to the enemy was a weakness. I suppose what I'd learnt in SOLDIER still stuck in my mind.  
"Yo, Zack, he got ya there." The Turk said, grinning. Zack whirled around, fists clenched.  
"Damnit Reno, don't agree with him!" Ah yes, Reno. That was the Turks name.  
"You shouldn't get distracted from the enemy either. Boy, Shin-Ra's standards are slipping..." I said, with the slightest hint of a smirk. Yes, emotions are a weakness, but smirking? That is just provoking the enemy. Something I like to do, a lot.  
The duo turned at this point, anger clouding their faces. They began to draw their weapons. Angeal continued to stare at the floor.  
"Drawing your weapons already? Now that's a bad idea..." I formed a fireball in my hand, watching the flames swirl and twirl in my hand. That power, under my control. I looked up from the fire, and straight at the pair of imbeciles. Angeal realised what I was going to do and started forward, but he was too late. I threw the fireball towards Reno at full speed, and hit him square in the chest. He flew backwards until he hit the wall, the shocked expression still on his face until he landed on the floor. Then he just slumped forward, and was still. Zack stared at him for a moment, and then looked at me, anger literally pouring out of him.  
"Why?" He gripped his sword tightly. Angeal headed towards the Turk.  
"Why? You people are nothing more than a pawn, a mere, disposable piece, which can be sacrificed for the good of the higher-ups." I looked him straight in the eye, and he flinched.  
"But...you were one of us once!" The kid's voice rang out, and after it came silence. The only noise was the breathing.  
I scowled, anger getting the better of me. I jumped up to the next floor, ignoring the staircase. I almost turned around to shout, but thought better of it, and jumped through the door. I waited just out of sight, but still listened. I wanted to see who would follow.  
"Zack, wait here." Angeal still sounded the same as always.  
"But..."  
"Just take care of Reno." Angeal stood up.  
"Yeah, yeah..." The kid went and sat down next to Reno, obviously annoyed he was going to miss a fight. Angeal climbed the flight of stairs slowly. By the time he reached the top, I was sitting on the windowsill, staring out onto my old home. He hesitated at the door.  
"It's okay, you can come in. I'm not about to attack an old friend." I said, my eyes not moving from the view. Angeal walked in and closed the door behind him.  
"Genesis......what happened?" Angeal asked quietly.  
"I realised what we were doing. What Shin-Ra was doing. The wars, the takeovers, even the assassinations....they were all planned!" I turned my head violently towards Angeal, and for the first time in a while looked him straight in the eye. I think he could tell I wasn't lying.  
"They were planned to look like Shin-Ra had saved the companies or captured the killers, so they could take over everything! All of their enemies were killed, and so was anyone who left them! Why do you think there is such a big mission to go after me? A missing SOLDIER 1st class, who knows all about the inner workings and weaknesses of Shin-Ra!?" Angeal looked away, just as I felt tears of anger well up in my eyes. I turned towards the window and blinked them away. Emotions are a weakness. I couldn't let him see me like this. Me, the one who never felt any remorse at taking away an innocents life, who never got upset, and who was only happy with a copy of LOVELESS in my hand.  
"Genesis......" Angeal moved towards me.  
"Angeal, when are you going to realise that Shin-Ra aren't as innocent as they seem?" I was getting annoyed at this now. Why did no-one ever listen?  
"Genesis, if you don't agree to return to Shin-Ra, I'm afraid......I'm afraid I'll have to fight you, and possibly even kill you! Just come back!" Angeal was visibly distressed. I almost felt sorry for him.  
"......When are you going to realise that I'm not coming back? When are you going to realise I'm not putting up with being the unknown one? Hell, you don't even know what it's like to not be put on missions, and have everyone thinking it's because you're a spoilt brat! You don't know what it's like to be me, to be behind everyone else, to be talked about behind your back, and not even be trusted to do one thing by yourself!" I yelled, more tears forming. I hastily wiped them on the back of my glove, and stared back out of the window, just as the kid and the Turk came crashing through the door.  
"Angeal, you okay?" Zack asked loudly. Angeal just stared at my back, not saying a word. Zack turned to stare at me as well.  
"What did you do!?" He yelled.  
"I.....just told him the truth." With that I opened the window, and swung my legs outside. Zack and the Turk gripped their weapons, and edged towards me. I turned around to look at each of them in turn.  
"My friend, the fates are cruel  
There are no dreams, no honour remains  
The arrow has left the bow of the goddess." I slipped out of the window, so that only my head was showing.  
"Goodbye, Angeal." And with that, I let myself fall.


End file.
